


Like Gas and Flame

by magic_maker



Series: Chicago Jo [5]
Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: Antonio is pissed, Breakup, Writing summaries is hard, jo is pragmatic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:02:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29505213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magic_maker/pseuds/magic_maker
Summary: Jo meets Hank. She surprises him, and pisses off Antonio.Maybe a mutual understanding is reached.
Relationships: Antonio Dawson/Joanna Maksim (Original Female Character)
Series: Chicago Jo [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2120460
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	Like Gas and Flame

**Author's Note:**

> early-ish July 2014

Jo entered the lobby of the 21st, taking a seat by the door. Antonio was getting off shift soon, unless something blew up, figuratively or literally, and she’d promised him a ride home while his car was getting repaired. While she and Antonio had been… seeing each other-Jo still wouldn’t use the term dating-for a couple months, she had yet to go to his workplace.

‘You lost?’ Sergeant Platt asked the firefighter, pinning her with a hard look. 

‘No, sergeant. Waiting for Detective Dawson,’ she replied with a smile. ‘He knows I’m here, and you looked like you have enough to keep up with, so I didn’t want to bother you.’ 

Platt stared hard for another moment, almost as if she was trying to make Jo uneasy. It took more than that, though, and Jo just met her eyes, her expression carefully neutral. A former friend, Karl, had prepared her well for that sort of intimidation. 

With a terse nod, Platt looked back at her paperwork. ‘Next time, bother me,’ she said; Jo would swear there was a ghost of a smile on her lips. 

Jo returned to her phone, ostensibly scrolling through her email, but her mind wandered back to Atlantic City, and Karl. She’d only associated with him, at first, because of his friendship with her colleague, but they’d developed a… rapport. He was sketchy as fuck, but she’d learned a lot from him, in many regards. He’d prepared her well for dealing with many men she’d encountered, who thought because she was a pretty blonde that she was stupid, naive, and could be intimidated. 

When Antonio greeted her, she put her phone away and stood. He wasn’t alone, she noticed. A slightly older man stood beside him, appraising her though not as openly as she was appraising him. ‘Jo, this is my boss, Hank Voight.’

Voight held out his hand and Jo took it automatically. ‘A pleasure. I’ve heard a lot about you,’ Voight said.

‘Likewise.’ She gripped his hand more firmly than she might normally, but not unreasonably so. This man gave off vibes like Karl had, and she knew intuitively that, whether deliberate or not, Voight was scrutinising her now and too weak or even too tight of a grip would be seen as weakness or feeling intimidated. 

With a nod and smile, Voight released her hand, resting the other one on her shoulder briefly. ‘She’s gonna keep you in line, Dawson,’ he said.

‘Yeah, I’ve figured that out.’

‘She’s also standing right here and not deaf,’ she added brusquely drawing an amused smirk from Voight and a frown from Antonio and Trudy. 

‘Excuse us,’ Antonio said to Voight. The couple stepped outside and Antonio put up a hand, stopping Jo. ‘What was that?’

Jo didn’t need to ask for clarification. ‘He reminds me of someone I used to know.’

‘Okay and?’

‘A someone who respects assertiveness more than meekness.’

Antonio stared then said, ‘That… wasn’t a test, Joanna!’

‘Maybe not to you. Possibly not even consciously for him. But it was a test.’ The assertion drew a disbelieving scoff from Antonio. 

‘So… tell me about this person Voight reminds you of.’

‘Karl was… he was a good drinking and sparring buddy, a good person to have on your side, and someone good to know if you were in a jam. He was also someone you didn’t want to owe anything to, and definitely didn’t want to piss off.’

Antonio couldn’t argue that. But he was spoiling for a fight now. ‘What’s wrong with that?’ he challenged.

Jo turned to face Antonio dead on. ‘Nothing. But he was an asshole who crossed more lines than I’m comfortable thinking about. He often got shit accomplished by questionable-at-best means, and frankly I’m quite certain he was responsible for a number of deaths or disappearances. So when someone reminds me of Karl, I make sure that they don’t mistake me as someone easily intimidated.’

Antonio’s jaw clenched. He similarly couldn’t argue that Voight wasn’t like that. He knew goddamned well he was. He knew that Hank Voight had killed people, outside of the requirements of his job. He wasn’t above using violence to accomplish what needed to be done. 

The fact that Jo had hit that nail on the head in under five minutes, with so little having been said, unnerved him and when he was unnerved, he got defensive. ‘Voight’s not a bad guy!’

Folding her arms over her chest, she leaned back slightly and looked up. ‘Why are you yelling?’

‘You’re judging him before you know him, Joanna!’

‘Am I wrong?’

‘You should give him a chance!’

‘I didn’t say I wasn’t. And you can’t say that I’m wrong, because I’m not, am I sergeant?’ She was no longer addressing Antonio.

Antonio’s head snapped up. He hadn’t noticed that Voight had come outside, having been drawn by his shouting.

‘You know what, I’m walking home. I need to cool off.’

‘I think that’s a good idea. I’d like to speak with your girlfriend, if she’ll allow me some time.’

‘I don’t care. She’s not my girlfriend,’ Antonio muttered before trotting down the steps. 

Voight caught the twitch of Jo’s jaw that was the only immediate reaction to Antonio’s response. The extra moment it took Jo to turn was noted as well, however; a moment that she used to arrange her face into a neutral expression and bite back any hint of emotion at the words that had undoubtedly hurt.

‘Come on up to my office, Joanna?’ Hank offered, speaking almost paternally.

‘It’s Jo. And sure.’ She knew she sounded unenthusiastic. She had no interest in visiting with Hank, but to refuse now, without a provably valid excuse, would negate her earlier assertiveness. She wasn’t afraid of him, but she really didn’t feel like dealing with people at the moment. 

She followed him up the stairs, pausing while he scanned himself in, and through the intelligence unit to his office. She raised a hand in greeting to Jay Halstead, but didn’t stop. 

‘Who’s that?’ Atwater asked, glancing at Jay. 

‘Jo Maksim. She’s squad at Boden’s firehouse and been seeing Dawson.’ 

‘She’s good friends with Severide, too,’ Erin Lindsay added. They’d met a few times through him.

Inside Voight’s office, Hank gestured to a chair, and Jo sat, crossing her legs. 

‘You don’t like me,’ Hank stated. 

‘I don’t know you. So no, I don’t dislike you.’

‘Fair enough. I didn’t hear the whole conversation with Antonio. But clearly you know someone I remind you of.’ Hank sat on the edge of his desk, arms folded, looking down at her.

‘I do; well, did. I didn’t dislike him. At times, I actually liked him. And at times I wanted to break his face. Might’ve tried once or twice; with poor results.’

‘Oh?’

‘He was, amongst other things, a sparring partner. One thing I did like about him was he didn’t pull punches just because of my gender. He was a good drinking buddy, a good trainer, a good sparring partner, and as I told Tonio, good at getting what he wanted or needed, means be damned. Unlike you, he was a criminal.’

‘Really.’

‘Does the Donnelly Family, of Atlantic City mean anything?’

The question was wholly unexpected; Hank very nearly lost his neutral expression. The name did mean something, and would to anyone who kept tabs on organised crime in the US. ‘Irish mafia. Not as well known outside law enforcement as the Italian syndicates, but equally dangerous. You said Karl. Do you mean Karl Murphy?’ 

‘Yes.’ 

‘Hmm. I don’t know if I’m offended or flattered that I remind you of him.’ 

‘I guess it depends on which side of the law you’re on at the time,’ Jo replied with a smirk. 

‘I suppose.’ From the perspective of attempting to stay on the right side of the law, it would be insulting. From the perspective of attaining results, and in terms of reputation, it was almost a compliment. He leaned back, reassessing her. She didn’t appear to be condemning his methods. Or him. ‘With what you know, or think you know,’ because he sure as fuck wasn’t going to come any closer to admitting to anything than he had, ‘You got anything to say?’ 

‘Not unless I ever have to. Keep me out of it, if our paths ever cross in that regard, and I see nothing, know nothing.’ 

‘What about Dawson?’

‘What about him? I know his temper. I know he’s thrown punches courts would say he shouldn’t have. I stay out of it as long as I’m kept out of it.’

‘Say you see something, and someone starts asking questions.’

‘Depends what I see and what the circumstances are. I see some scumbag rapist with a broken face, well… you tell me he tripped and fell into a wall and as far as I’m concerned, that’s what happened. I see you try to kill someone, we’re gonna have an issue.’

‘That’s not what I expected,’ Hank admitted. 

‘I don’t like it, what you do. I also don’t like defense lawyers getting rapists and murderers and child abusers off, knowing full well they’re guilty, just because some “i” wasn’t dotted somewhere along the line. In a perfect world, men like you wouldn’t be necessary. But we live in the real world.’ 

‘That we do.’ 

Jay knocked on the office door and held up his phone, indicating they’d caught a case. Hank held up his hand and motioned for him to go get ready.

‘I meant what I said earlier. About keeping him in line. I think you’ll be good for him.’ 

‘I know. But I’m _not_ his keeper. At the moment, I’m not even his girlfriend. We’re good for each other, but as volatile as gas fumes and fire. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to the gym. And you seem to have to work.’ She strode out of the office and down the stairs, saying only ‘Later,’ when Jay gave her a questioning look.


End file.
